Renovation Costs in Merida ~ My Tiny Project ~ Part I

I've found over the past year that very few bloggers give specific costs of renovations to their Merida homes. I can understand their discretion.

I've decided that I'm going to post all the costs involved with mi nido. Maybe by doing so, someone will either find an answer to their question or learn from my mistakes.

I'll try to list all the repairs needed in my home in my next post, but for the time being I want to share the first project I tackled.

Because most houses in Centro are attached to neighboring homes, you don't have the benefit of an alley. Any work done in the interior courtyard has to be schlepped through the house. Best to start out back first.  This especially holds true if you're planning a pool or other major work. 

I come from a family known for several things...some good, some bad.  Some members are horticulturists.  If it's green they can handle it.  One cousin grows orchids, another is an amazing arborist and a third deals in carnivorous plants. They've got it covered.

My aunt and uncle are the oracles of all things rooted in the earth.  They would never forgive me if I let beautiful established trees and plants suffer from neglect, so the garden became my first priority. I'm still in the States and had to rely on the kindness of strangers and two good friends to make it all happen.  Friends who were heading to Merida to check on their own project made time to supply a key to the landscaper and take some photos of the house for me.

I first saw the house in February of this year, put in an offer and closed in March.  The house had only been vacant for two months and the garden looked good compared to many I'd seen. Great shade, a few aloe and a nice patio with pavers. 

I returned in May and was glad to see that even though the bougainvillea had spread out more than up, things seemed to be under control.  The coco palm needed a bit of attention but not a big project. I headed to Home Depot and bought some basic yard tools.



May 2013

The tall, beautiful tree that shades most of the yard is a Ceiba as best as I can tell. If it is, I'll be thrilled.  Hanging from the lowest branch was a swing that must have served some children well.  Unfortunately the vinyl rope from the swing was strangling the branch and it needed to come off.

I contacted a landscaper and forwarded photos to him.  Would he be able to attend to the bougainvillea and branch?   He was more than happy to and noticed from the photos that there was some debris under the tree that needed clearing out.  He would handle that also.  We agreed that he would start to train the bougie to climb on the wall, cut down the swing, clear out trash and assess the general health of the plants.  He also dispatched the termite throughway that had extended from the tree over the wall.

Price $1,700 Mex.


Well, a lot can happened between May and August which is evident from the before and after photos the landscaper sent.   He may be kicking himself in the pants for the quote he gave...but I hope not.

Morning of August 12, 2013
Before the Miracle

I couldn't be happier with the results and look forward to working with him in the future.  That is, if he'll have me!

Afternoon of August 12, 2013
After the Miracle